Pasig City Mayor Bobby Eusebio and his wife Maribel are welcomed by the officers and members of the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig (Rotary International District 3800) as the club held its first Great Roots, Greater Fruits Parenting Summit at the Pasig City Sports Complex last Saturday, September 24.

Also in the photo are [5th from left] are speakers Pastor Jun Aguilar of Victory Pioneer and Mrs. Zenaida Concepcion from the Anti-Drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP). Pasig City 2nd District Councilor Dr. Corie Raymundo, Ph.D., and award-winning authors Mr. Vic & Avelynn Garcia of Unleash International were also present in the Summit as speakers.

Almost 4,000 parents from Pasig City including members of the Pasig City Parent-Teachers Association Federation and Mayor Bobby C. Eusebio (BCE) Scholars attended the Summit amid the turbulent weather to listen to inspiring talks provided by its speakers, notable Victory Pioneer's Pastor Jun Aguilar, Pasig City 2nd District Councilor Dr. Corazon "Corie" Raymundo, PhD., Mrs. Zenaida Concepcion of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council of Pasig (ADCOP) and Mr. Vic & Ms. Avelynn Garcia of Unleash International Corporation.

Among the lessons that the parents learned from the first Parenting Summit is the value of communicating to your children and the importance of keeping it. The program ended with closing remarks from the Club's President-Elect Ms. Maryann Santiago.The Great Roots, Greater Fruits Parenting Summit is organized by the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig and is supported by the Pasig City Government, CDO, Landbank of the Philippines, Citibank NA, Unleash International Corporation and Ex-Link Events.

In all aspects of life, one must be fulfilled and satisfied, lest he or she will feel miserable. In this post, we will talk about this approach that can also be applied in your personal branding to serve customers more.

Let's take for example booming industries such as call centers, where dozens of customer service professionals are catering to their clients, most working opposite the normal 9-to-5 time. Most often, these professionals experience burnout - after all, they are the bridge between the client companies and their clients.

The companies' Human Resource Departments get this well, and so they formulate proactive work environments that doesn't only mind work, but also includes socializing and outdoor activities. The objective is to make the professional feel fulfilled, which will lead to increased performance.

For a different perspective, let's take a look this time to the typical 9-to-5 worker. Commute times, targets, deadlines, client calls, meetings, so on and so forth stresses him or her, resulting to dullness of the performance and the persons themselves. If you can hear them talk about having a facial or buffing up at the gym or eat at the nearby food park, it's for their personal satisfaction. Taking a break sometimes is helpful.

As a professional, if you can't derive a sense of meaning in your work, you won't be able to stay long. A Deloitte research shows that most people determine a company's success by how its people are satisfied.

If you have hobbies, you can cling in to them to provide you with some stress relief. Also take note as an employee that if you bring your work at home more than often, it might be a sign that your work is hampering your satisfaction. Another tip to check your happiness is to examine how you see your environment - if you think and feel that your environment is crap, it will reflect on you.

Many things do revolve in yourself, and if you don't take care of your happiness and satisfaction, it can be depressing in the end. Don't be a sad bum, be happy and see the good in everything. This will reflect on your personal branding, and thus you can give a better experience to the people you talk to.
Speaking better experiences, talk to your boss if you can attend the Customer Love Fest this October in Makati, where local and international speakers will talk about Customer Loyalty and Rewards, Customer Relationship Management, and Customer Experience for two days. Many professionals have attested positively to the event, and we look forward to see you there.

The Customer Experience Management Conference is part of the 2016 Customer Love Fest happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Our staff are on stand-by to take your reservation, so get in touch now!

Recently, we heard that TV5's going to reintegrate itself, focusing on sports and home shopping. This comes after the news that its news division chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes mulls to leave the network to pursue a new start. Of course, let's not talk about people here - we'll talk about one of the network's plans under its new leadership - home shopping.

Records say that RJTV introduced this concept in the 90's, and in 2016, there are five or so brands running in the country, selling products from East Asia or the U.S. They buy airtime from local networks to promote their products and how they can avail of these - these fall in a segment called "infomercials."

The usual pattern for these infomercials is to promote the product, demonstrate how tough/versatile/efficient it is, share testimonials, show the price and keep the viewer wanting the product through special offers. If you have seen infomercials before, you might have known icons such as Chef Tony, Billy Mays and Vince Offer. Notice how they pitch the products.

What does these infomercials show? These show the how effective home shopping is in getting your potential customers to call and buy right in a matter of minutes. This is why some say that home shopping is a temptation for impulse buying.

Positioning the brand, the products and the setting the right time gets you customers; add some iconic pitch makers and you now have brand loyalty that can also translate to viral topics (and in most cases, memes), which is a good thing entirely.
"We're still not done yet," they say - read on for the next few seconds and we'll tell you more about the Customer Experience Management Conference. Imagine customer experience professionals gathering in one place to share ideas and network with their fellows, that's what it is.

The Customer Experience Management Conference is part of the Customer Love Fest 2016, happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Our staff are on stand-by to take your reservation, so get in touch now!

There's a lot of games that are available to play on smartphones, from the casual to the hardcore - and each of these games have their own following. We take on for example two trending games that are hit with the anime-loving youth: The LoveLive! School idol festival and Mystic Messenger.

LoveLive! SIF is part of the multimedia LoveLive! School idol project franchise that produced the eighth best-selling musical act in Japan of the year 2015, two anime titles, a full-length movie, so on and so forth. It is a rhythm game where you can collect cards of various designs of its different characters, depending on the seasonal campaigns that are constantly being conceptualized.

On the other hand, the newcomer Mystic Messenger published by Cheritz in South Korea last June is a game wherein you talk to pretty guys and get into different situations. Heck, the game will even "call" or "message" you all of a sudden - even at 3 in the morning, as some players have mentioned.

What these games have in common? Both are available on the two common mobile OS platforms Android and iOS, both have in-app payments ("lovecas" or gems in SIF, "hourglasses" in MM), and both provide rewarding experiences to its players (the character cards are the things players look forward to in SIF, while MM players - mostly female - are looking forward to gush on their in-game crushes).

Now, the smartphone is an all-purpose device - we've told you before that your smartphone is a rewards card, and now we've shown you another aspect of the smartphone (as well as mobile computing on its own) - it's no longer reserved for the ones in business like in the 90's, and consumers are really into it more than the TV. With that said, smartphones are no longer a buzzword but a household name.
If you are a Customer Loyalty professional, check out the 5th Customer Loyalty Conference and Expo featuring key resource speakers, fellow customer experience professionals, and a great environment to share concepts on Customer Experience.

The 5th Customer Loyalty Conference and Expo is part of the Customer Love Fest 2016, happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

So you have the plan and you know clearly the event
objectives of your clients, so what now?

First thing first, you need the right people to execute the
plans that you crafted, without the right people say goodbye to your goal of
creating a successful event.

Most of the time, the plan is so detailed, so perfect, but
come the “Day of Reckoning” will fail to deliver. And when you go back to the
drawing board, you will discover that there is nothing wrong with your plan,
the fault lies in having placed wrong and incompetent people in the event
operations.

This is the reason why Human Resources Management is
important in Event Management.

In Human Resource Management, it is best if you have a department
or a lead person that will oversee the human resources in an upcoming event, if
you do not have, it is important that you have the skills in human resource
management.

Human Resources Management involves the following:

Creation of a Culture
of Excellence

Easier said than done, this aspect is something that you
monitor and hammer to the minds and heart of your staff. Event Management is a
service industry; in this industry “going the extra mile” is the rule rather
than the exception. A Culture of Excellence becomes critical in this case.

The company is best communicated by how well the people work
with the client.

Talent Development
Process

You need to develop your talents. They will be the one that
will work hand in hand with your clients. How your people implement to achieve
the goals of the event is highly dependent on their competence and
capabilities.

As such, training, capacity building, and career paths are
some of the important aspect you have to deal with when it comes to talent
development process.

Recruitment and
Firing

What is your Talent Unique Selling Proposition or Human
Resources Value Proposition? This element is very critical in attracting the
right people and suppliers to help you achieve and satisfy your clients.

At the same time, I consider my event organization as a
basketball team, people that cannot deliver needs to be replaced for a better
team member. Having said this, firing is a difficult but a must action that one
has to take in order to create a better event management organization.

Competitive Wages and
Incentives

Let us face it, people will work for you if they can get
what they need from you, and people will work hard for you if they feel that
their salaries, wages and incentives are at par with the market or better.

In this aspect, you are like walking on a tightrope located
on top of two high buildings, the wind is blowing, your life is at stake, and a
wrong step will eventually spell your end.

I am saying, you need to be competitive but at the same
time, and most importantly, profitable.

Attract and shower your people with an attractive package, but not to the extent of seeing your company in the red.

Clear Organizational
Chart and Job Descriptions

Oftentimes, we cannot harness the potential of a staff
because we do not have a clear organizational chart that helps the staff where to
seek help and assistance whenever he needs it.

At the same time, he was confused and frustrated, because for
him, he is already working hard to achieve goals and expectations, but at the
end of the day, he is reprimanded, only because he and you do not see
eye-to-eye on what are his job descriptions.

Again, remember, these two are easy to do, but most of the
time placed in the drawer or at the dark corners of the office.

So you wanted to have a successful event? You wanted to maximize
productivity and profitability; you can by putting a priority in your human
resources in your event’s company. There is no one-way to do it. It is a
process, but I tell you it is a worth your time and effort if you do it
correctly.

It is easy to say, but to ensure that your event is a success may
take us one to two whole days to discuss it. At the same time, if you are now
putting it into action or implementing the event to reality, you will discover
that you will give a lot of blood, sweat and luck in order to reach the success
you are dreaming to achieve.

But no worries, one of the ways to ensure that you are halfway to
your dream success is to know the five phases of event management.

PHASE 1. RESEARCH

So you are face-to-face with your clients, you signed your event
management contract, congratulations! Savor the moment of victory because
often times this may be the last time you will be smiling alongside with your
clients.

I am not kidding. I have heard, know and see a lot of good
beginnings between client and event manager turned to ugly endings.

But of course, you can avoid it.

Research is the phase where you have to discover the overt objectives
of the clients and, most importantly, covert objectives.

Clients often go beyond the RFPs (Request for Proposals) or scope
of work. The client always infuses their personal desires, albeit you have to
uncover it.

This is the reason that in this phase you have to ask the clients a
lot of Why? Uncover their vision beyond the papers that was given to you.

Lastly, determine the practicality of the client’s objectives,
desires and vision.

PHASE 2. DESIGN

In this phase, you are now asking the clients the theme of the
events. You are now mindstorming with clients on possible concepts and flow of
the event.

A caveat on this phase, do not lose sight of the objectives that
needed to be achieved while designing the event.

The bells and whistles that may sprung during the mindstorming can
overwhelm you that you may be carried by the waves of colors of these concepts,
taking you away from the very reason why the event exists that is to achieve
important objectives.

PHASE 3. PLANNING

In this phase, the budget, venue and timelines should now be
finalized.

If the research and design phase are conducted well, there will be
no or minor glitches will be encountered in this phase.

I recommend using the ICOM Model in this phase. ICOM stands for
Input, Constraints, Output and Methods. Using this framework we can see the
different angles of the plan and how the actual event will start and end (I
recently wrote an article about the ICOM Model).

Planning is important, but the planning process will give you the
edge in making your event a success.

Why?

The plan is organic, meaning some details can change because of
unforeseen situations and developments. On the other hand, the planning process is
an exercise that allows you to study carefully and meticulously all the details
of the event.

As the saying goes, God is in the details – the planning process is the
best exercise to be detailed driven.

PHASE 4. COORDINATION

This is the phase where the logistics, manpower and other supplier
requirements are finalized and most of the work needed for pre-event are
completed.

I use the 3 Cs (Communication, Cooperation and, of course,
Coordination) to amplify this phase in my organization.

My adrenaline in this phase is high. Adjustments require creative
and fast thinking and decision-making – traits that I acquired and are very
fond of because it is a full display of how competent the event manager is.

I call myself the conductor during this phase, as I lead the choir
to produce a masterpiece performance that will surely ensure a happy smile on the
face of my clients.

PHASE 5. EVALUATION

Surveys and post event assessments are part of this phase. In the
ICOM Model it is the comparison between the Input and Output. Taking into
account the gaps between the input and output.

In simpler terms, it is like getting a checklist of objectives and
expectations that your clients agreed to achieve before the event and ticking
each item on the checklist if you have achieved it, and explaining the reasons
why you failed to fulfill the items agreed on the checklists.

My advice on the items you failed to fulfill, be honest and explain
the reasons why you failed to achieve it.

On this particular matter, I hope that your reasons for failing to
achieve it is valid, if not, be prepared to lose the client or worse, be
prepared not to get paid and lose a lot of money as a consequence.

So now that you know the five phases of event management, I hope
that you will become confident in navigating your events against the different
challenges that you will encounter, and in the end, deliver the event that you
are expected to manage to where it deserves to be – in the Pantheon of Success.

If you have been glued to the internet during the long weekend, you should relate well to this post: Clips from various series playing to the tune of Gary Valenciano's rendition of Sugarfree's "Wag ka nang Umiyak" have been sprouting online, and the viral meme has left most series unscathed - Spider Man, How I Met Your Mother, so on and so forth. (If you haven't watched these series before, we'll warn you of spoilers right now.)

We laughed (and cried, or rather, cried laughing) at these videos, but what does this "If X is made in the Philippines" are trying to say? We love telenovelas. Which way you want to see it, we love doing our primetime habit. Even if most are disappointed with the state of prime time television (as evidenced by the gaffe between the head writer of a major TV station against those who are claiming that the station's upcoming series resembles an adaptation made overseas, this and that), we cannot deny that this prime time habit has a majority target audience who are OK to see the typical TV tropes over and over again.

Just few years ago, most of our local telenovelas talked about infidelity, and we got tired of it eventually. This year, trend is more into romance and youth. Truly, Filipinos are romantic.

Notice the difference between the series that have been parodied in the videos above - they play the same song in the end, but they have different outcomes. You can say that the memes reflect how monotonous the prime time business in our country is; or how unoriginal we are, but on the other hand, the people who created these videos have their creativity intact, and are just waiting for someone to think of better ideas through these.

Customer Experience is not an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" thing - experiences wind down eventually, and once the experience winds down to a monotonous level, it's up for the creatives to build another kind of experience. This applies to the entertainment industry as well, though we don't recognize this at face value.

To sum it up, here's the takeaway from this narrative: Most of us love telenovelas, but the concepts can wind down, so it's up to the creative minds to come up with different experiences so as the audience won't get tired and bored watching at night.
If you are a Customer Experience professional, check out the Customer Experience Management Conference featuring key resource speakers, fellow customer experience professionals, and a great environment to share concepts on Customer Experience.

The Customer Experience Management Conference is part of the Customer Love Fest 2016, happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

One of the best frameworks for creating a successful event is by using the ICOM Model.

The ICOM Model is used in project management, and since events are project, beginners or masters of creating and producing events will greatly benefit from using or considering the ICOM Model.

In breaking down the ICOM Model, here is why it will be greatly beneficial:

Input

Events start with the clients narrating their wants and needs. This is the input. I always asked my clients about these two elements, without knowing this, you will be at a lost when you start implementing the event.

The inputs of your clients or stakeholders are important, in the input the event objectives and expected results are enumerated.

INPUT’s other important elements besides the objectives are the Scope of Work.

Constraints

The reality is that events are like the heartbeat we see in the emergency rooms, there are peaks and valleys. The life of an event manager is not a straight line, we are in a business to solve and arrive on immediate solutions to problems and impediments that prevent the event from becoming successful.

Indeed, we cannot escape encountering constraints. Some of the event constraints are financial (budget), time (deadlines), legal, environmental, and quality just to name a few.

The good news about identifying the constraints is we are able to be better prepared and take action more wisely.

In addition, we are able to adjust the objectives, wants and needs of the client because of these constraints.

In other words, we are able to avoid promising the stars or the heaven, we are able to commit to them what is realistic and doable.

But of course, I always subscribe to under promise and over deliver dictum. This is the signpost that I wanted you to consider after surveying the constraints and relating it to the inputs of the clients.

Mechanism

How do you achieve the objectives? In achieving the objectives, you need mechanisms to move it forward. The mechanisms are the people, knowledge and expertise of suppliers and talents, capital, event tools like checklists and rules, and technology.

Of course, you can still add more, if you think they are mechanisms that will allow you to move forward the event closer to the desired input.

Output

We are now going to the most important part of the event that is the output or results. Have you achieved and satisfied the client’s desired objectives, needs and wants?

I always talk to them and conduct surveys in order to know if the output passed their expectations.
In conclusion, the ICOM Model in Event Management is an effective framework in creating a successful event and becoming a successful event manager.

It provides you a clear direction on what critical success areas to consider. It guides you in the process of making your own Key Result Areas (KRA) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

Having said this, I hope that by applying ICOM Model you will be more confident and assured that the event you will be managing is on its way to becoming a resounding success and that you will be making your clients happy.

The 5th Customer Loyalty Conference is the pioneer conference in the country dedicated for loyalty and brand officers. Started in 2012, this conference has grown into what is now the two-day Customer Love Fest.

This year, we are bringing in two overseas speakers to join us in the party with local customer loyalty professionals who will share their expertise and experience in customer loyalty and rewards.

Customer Loyalty Conference 2016
Speaker Lineup

"Content Marketing Hacks in Making your Loyalty and Rewards Program a Success"Mr. Usama Qasem, IKEA UAE, Egypt, Oman and Qatar

The 5th Customer Loyalty Conference and Expo is part of the Customer Love Fest 2016, happening at the New World Makati Hotel on October 20 to 21. For reservations and other inquiries, contact 633-0153, SMS 0920 981 4376 or 0920 924 2532, or email info@exlinkevents.com. Ex-Link Events is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Calling all businessmen in the Ortigas-Mandaluyong area - join the Business Development Forum 2016 this September 30, Friday, 9:00am onwards, at the Tektite Tower Auditorium in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

The Forum features key resource speakers in business talking about insightful and inspiring topics that are fit for the improvement of your business, such as Wong+Bernstein Senior Advisor on Branding and Marketing Mr. Willy Arcilla, ActionCoach Philippines General Manager Mr. Roberto Dimayuga and RBG Philippines CEO Mr. Raymond Lim.

The early registration fee of Php999 is until September 20, 2016. On-site registration fee is Php2,999. Registration fee includes meals, certificate of attendance and event kit.

For reservations and inquiries, contact 643-3887, SMS 0920 924 2532 or email info@exlinkevents.com. This event is a fund-raising project for the benefit of the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig. Program is subject to change without prior notice.

There are lots of events in the country covering spectra such as entertainment (concerts and contests, etc) and business (trade fairs and exhibitions, etc.), but there's one common ground for any kind of event: These may change all of a sudden.

We have here Bruce, who is an example of an event organizer. He, along with his team, has been formulating the program for their event as far as a year before the exact date. However, there are many adjustments that they have to take note of. These may include last-minute cancellations for guests, contests and activities, rescheduling of program activities, so on and so forth.

Bruce manages a concert that is long-awaited by enthusiasts of smooth jazz, especially those of the overseas guest/s that have been invited. One day, the specific guest had to postpone his appearance - this will make some fans sad as they had filed their leaves prior to the date of his appearance (considering that even some still have work on the weekends).

Luckily, this was just a reschedule, but what if the guest did cancel his appearance? That will definitely take a toll on Bruce, as he has to cancel the guest's round-trip plane tickets, hotel bookings, so on and so forth. This also affects their ticket sales - so much that they can refund the visitors who paid for the concert just to see the guest.

The next course for Bruce is to fill in the void that the overseas guest has left. Luckily, he was able to fill in the void by getting more local jazz artists, and while the anticipation of the concert did went down, Bruce was able to position it to a different niche, delving more into showcasing the local jazz scene instead of having just one big jazz concert.

What visitors should understand about events organizing? There are sudden changes that can hurt the fans and the organizers altogether. Now, even if Bruce was able to mitigate a flop, what will happen in next year's event? They will go back from the drawing board, picking up the pieces from what has happened and then prepare the next format for another one.

Change is constant, and this is really reflected on the event industry, no matter where you go. This hard yet exhilarating events industry is truly wonderful.If you've been going to events for a long time and appreciate the effort organizers give to each event and its visitors, why not discover your inner Bruce? We here at Ex-Link Events are looking for young, active and resourceful individuals to be part of our Events Staff. Send your letter of intent and resume at info@exlinkevents.com. You can also send your queries at the same email address.Follow Ex-Link Events on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram for updates and event offerings.

It's that time of the year again! The last four months of the year in the country, dubbed as the "-ber months," is said to be the time where we are preparing for the holiday season more than our neighboring countries. With that said, we expect many people to line up in malls or markets to buy gifts for their loved ones.

There're a lot of choices around, and you might want to get them all - but remember to get the present that your loved ones will appreciate the most. Here are some tips on how to prepare for your holiday shopping:

Keep the receiver in mind. Know his/her interests, likes and dislikes. The more you know about the things he/she appreciates in life, the better.

Ask advice from friends. Don't rely on just yourself. If you know his/her friends, you can ask them about the things and quirks he/she has.

Know your limits. Most of the time, we can't offer what we want to give to our loved ones

Know where to buy. Spend time to research on the places where you can buy the gifts. Spare a day or two to canvass and compare which place is the best one to buy gifts.

Know how to present the gift. Presentation is key. This depends on a case-to-case basis - if you are going to give to someone who can't afford it, make sure that it's special. If you're going to give to someone who can afford it but has no time to buy it, you can keep it simple as well. It all depends on how do you know the person you're giving to.

We hope this five tips give you a hindsight on what will you do for your holiday shopping - and this can also work for birthdays and debuts!
We have five events that are coming up for the rest of the year, namely the Rotary Club of Mutya ng Pasig's Parenting Summit and MSME Business Development Seminar this month, the Customer Love Fest 2016 this October, the Kabuhayan Expo this November and the OFW & SME Business Expo this December.